Vote for Druid and Ferret Man?

Some Libertarians have gone as far as to speak out against this year’s
California gubernatorial candidate, Gary Copeland, accusing him of
squandering what little credibility the party might have, because he is
running as a “practicing Druid.” Similar concerns have been raised over
“Friend of the Ferret,” Pat Wright, the Libertarian nominee for Lieutenant
Governor.

Has the Libertarian Party taken a step backwards in California? Perhaps,
but only because of the increasingly vicious attacks on third-party
candidates who campaign on forbidden issues like medical marijuana.

As one WND reader recently observed, “So maybe it’s a good thing
that Libertarians are challenging political stereotypes by running
‘weirdoes.’ Hell, after the way the state of California ran gubernatorial
candidate Steve Kubby out of here on trumped up charges, I’m thankful the
party found anyone willing to run in this state.”

Those familiar with my case, which centered around my medically-approved use of marijuana and was reported in over 250 news stories,
know that my gubernatorial campaign statements, writings and political
speeches were used against me both to obtain the search warrant and in my
trial. Furthermore, at the request of the prosecutors and ruling of the judge, Libertarians were forbidden from serving on the jury.

During my trial, an entire day was spent trying to show that I have violated
the Fair Political Practices Act. As recorded in courtroom testimony, the
State of California accused me of not providing a list of those who gave me
money for the year prior to my running for office. Only after extensive
cross examination and actual review of the law, were my attorneys finally
able to show that there is no such requirement.

In Russia they used to say that you could vote for anyone you want, so long
as they were a Communist. Apparently, in the U.S. you too can vote for
anyone you want, so long as they are a Democrat or a Republican.

Of course, new candidates should be warned that forbidden topics will not be
tolerated in elections. According to official U.S. documents posted by the
Department of Justice, if the topic is drugs, the punishment could be as bad
as the crime of furnishing information about making bombs.

Here is a chilling description of those who are now going to be targeted for
prosecution by the DOJ:

“Drug-culture advocates are chiefly interested in expanding the size of
the community to both legitimize their activity and increase pressure on
lawmakers to change or abolish drug control laws.”

“Advocates of an expanded freedom of expression are purveyors of
information with yet another agenda. These individuals and groups publish
information on the Internet to push the boundaries of self-expression and
the First Amendment.”

“Anarchist individuals and groups, who protest against or seek to abolish current legal, social, or economic structures, disseminate drug information on the
Internet to advance their cause by promoting countercultural behavior.”

Say what you want about the Druid and Ferret Man, but I support these brave gentleman, just as I support my party. Given the laws and abuse of power by
the ruling parties, I’m grateful for anyone who will run under such corrupt
conditions.

Steve Kubby was the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate for California and played a key role in the passage of Proposition 215, California’s historic medical marijuana law. He is the author of two books on drug policy reform and the founder of the American Medical Marijuana Association. His current position is as producer for the Pot-TV News.